Episode 8 - Behind The Eric Thomas' Brand with Karl Phillips
Episode 8 of Nicky and Moose the Podcast is a special one as the duo dives in and breaks down not just the man behind the most viral Eric Thomas videos, but someone who has impacted their lives forever— Mr. Karl Phillips.
If you’ve followed ET the Hip Hop Preacher’s career over the last 15 years or so, or even been impacted by his videos from back then, you were actually watching Karl at work. He’s a cohost on the Secret to Success Podcast and has just launched his own course Solo Creator Pro.
What is it about Karl that we want to look at? Join us for this amazing conversation to see just what made Karl our top pick for our very first interview and how you can take his lessons and experiences and use them for your own brand and business.
What you will discover:
- What the flight assessment really is
- It’s ok to start from where you are
- Find the resources to figure it out
- The value of consistency and having a body of work
- How to know when to do products
- The places serving in excellence will take you
- The power of your why
- The courage it takes to ask for help
- What it looks like to pigeonhole yourself
- The importance of embracing your role and not running from it
- What’s needed to be in a position to build your own
- The driving force that is legacy
- The importance of accountability partners
- How crucial it is to get out of your own head and take action
- Help for those who are stuck
- How essential it is to learn to make you happy
- The significance of taking full ownership of your day
- You’re selfish
- The difference between potential and moving
Nicky Saunders:
What's poppin'? What's poppin'? What's poppin'? Welcome to Nicky and Moose. I'm Nicky. That's Moose. 'Sup Moose?
Mostafa Ghonim:
What up y'all?
Nicky Saunders:
And this week we got a special special special guest kind of a special concept but a special guest. The man behind the number one motivational speaker. The man behind some of the most viral videos that you've seen. The man behind a new situation called Solo Creator Pro, something like that. I could have messed it up. I could have messed it up. I'ma be... listen this is this is why I'm the high pilot. It is what it is. We have none other than Karl. Hold on. Hold on. What do you think about Karl? Because something just came up to me. But what do you think about Karl?
Mostafa Ghonim:
Honestly, as as a as a close friend. I'm most excited about his growth. Like to see his growth that's happened over the last eight months, I'm just like, Man! And at one point, I was very mad at him. Slightly pissed off, if you will, excuse my French. Just because I was just I was just learning so much about his many different talents. The dude had an advanced degree in, in Film Editing, basically. He can play the guitar, he can play the piano he and I was just like, dude, you're freaking awesome. Like, you're so many talents. So, ya know, he's an he's he's a special human being man to really bring it all together and just start sharing it with the world now. I'm excited for people to see the Karl that we know.
Nicky Saunders:
Listen, we're doing too much. Let's get into the intro.
Jaymie Jordan:
Two kids from Queens. Cut from a different cloth. Now joining forces helping you to elevate your personal brand. Yeah, I'm talking about Nicky and Moose! Bringing you a never before seen perspective into the mindset, the mentality, the behaviors, the driving force, more importantly, the stories behind the people and brands that you know and love the most.
Nicky Saunders:
Before we bring in Karl, you know I got to do the review of the week. Ya mean? Gotta do the review of the week. Shout out to, who is this? Manalo2020. Man, I hope I messed that up. That guy, right? I hope so.
Mostafa Ghonim:
Right. Sounds about right.
Nicky Saunders:
Sounds about right? Yes. Yes. All right. Anyways, um, "Hidden gems! Whoa! What an amazing podcast! There's so many gems in this podcast that they are so chill while doing it. Keep on rocking y'all killing it." Thank you. Thank you for the review and shout out to everybody who left a review. Continue to do that. But let's bring in Karl. What's poppin' Karl?
Karl Phillips:
What's going on? First of all...oh, no go ahead. Hit the air horns.
Nicky Saunders:
Ya mean? Ya mean? Gotta do it proper.
Karl Phillips:
I want to see how many air horns we can get in this episode. I don't know if we count but I be watching. I be watching and I'm seeing it. So I want to see how many we can get on this episode, man. But I just want to start out by saying this Nicky... Boom! That's all I want to start out by saying right there.
Nicky Saunders:
For all our YouTube people, you will see that he is wearing the the Giants jersey. The hoodie, I got excited the Giants hoodie. But Moose, Moose I wanted to bring in Karl because first off, we work very close with him. And I think from a standpoint of building something to now having something of his own, we have to talk about that. We have to. I don't know if you want to start it off. But I got questions
Mostafa Ghonim:
Absolutely. Absolutely. I think it's only ready. right to show, of course...an this assessment is, n t this assessment, this episode s also brought to you by the flight assessment as we always ike to give credit or draw ref rences from that report just o help people to continue to m ke the connections. You know? Fo those who were tuned, tuned in
Nicky Saunders:
No we didn't. ith us back when we were do ng the Facebook show, we had arl on and obviously did a very...actually no, we didn' have Karl on.
Karl Phillips:
No, this my first time man!
Mostafa Ghonim:
My bad. Actually, yeah, my bad. No, I that was for the community call. Okay, there we go. My bad. That
Nicky Saunders:
Hold on, hold on. What about the people don't was my mistake. Eddie leave that in. That's, that's okay. It is what it is it works. Oh, man. All right, here we go. It's only gonna get better from here. I promise. It's only gonna get better from here. No, but but I think it is important to kind of defeat some of the stereotypes that have been associated with the grounds crew. So So Karl, I mean, if you can, I actually would like to start off by asking you, you know, talk to us a little bit about some of those stereotypes that you've heard know who grounds crew is? What about the people who don't know about the grounds crew in terms of what what you originally thought it was and in terms of how it was spoken about and presented. And, and just give us maybe a little bit of history about how you've slowly started breaking some of those barriers, because the Karl that we know today is definitely a lot more advanced and, and still true, still a genuine person. But just on a whole nother level. who the pilot and everything is? What happened? What happened? All right, this is what we're gonna do. All right. Yeah. Oh, wait, the pilot's missing. Hello. All right. For those who don't know what the grounds crew is, and all that great stuff, we always go based off the flight assessment. So you have the pilot, you have the flight attendant, you have the grounds crew, and you have the air traffic controller. In a minute and 30 or however long you want to feel like doing it, can you describe each and every single one of the Moose?
Mostafa Ghonim:
I'm gonna do it under a minute today for Karl. So the pilot based off of the four dominant personality types that we know exist in the world, the pilot we know is all about making big decisions, bottom line oriented and A-type personalities that move very fast and want to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. Next up, you have those flight attendants that rely more a lot on their charisma, their charm, their personality and their relationships to really build and connect with others. And then of course, you have the grounds crew where, in the airport theme, you notice they're involved in a lot of different areas. They are getting people's bags onto the plane and off the plane. They're bringing up beverages and snacks, maybe to the flight attendant so that they can serve them to passengers on the plane, they're helping even the pilot navigate the plane from the runway to the gate and vice versa. So they're involved in a lot of different areas, which is typically the reason why it's easy to throw the blanket statement out there and say that grounds crews are more so supportive. They're behind the scenes, because when you're on the plane, you can't necessarily hear them talking. But that's the stereotype that we really want to break down today with the example of Karl. But then lastly, you have the air traffic control. Those who are also in a tower somewhere can be behind the scenes as well, but working more so with details, right? They're thinking about making sure that no two planes are taking off from the same runway at the same time. So they're more so involved with the minor details to make sure that everything is going according to plan.
Nicky Saunders:
Okay.
Mostafa Ghonim:
I gave them the speed version.
Nicky Saunders:
You got it. Okay, bring it back to Karl. My bad, my bad.
Karl Phillips:
So I'll take it move because I got the question. Um, man, just to paint the picture, Moose kind of started off where you see the grounds crew as just that support role. Right? And I'll be honest, when I first kind of, like started diving into the assessment, like I'm like it, it pigeon holed me, like, and not in a negative way, like it pigeon holed, like, Yo, this is really like a pretty accurate description of how I see myself. Now, the challenge with that is, you guys have all heard the saying good guys finish last. Like, as I understood what the grounds crew temperament was, as I understood our tendencies, like that started to ring really, really true for me, and I was like, I don't know that I like that. But at that time, I didn't know what to do about it. You know what I'm saying? So I'm watching. I'm like, yo, and I'll take me as an example, I'm putting in a lot of hours. The stuff that I'm doing, I'm putting in a lot of time and let's just be specific Moose. If and I did some research on the ground screw group. And dude, there's probably at least 20 different roles in there. Like as it relates to, you know, the, the, the actual aviation and traveling and all that. There's literally like 20 different roles, and that's just me doing a scan. Right?
Mostafa Ghonim:
Right.
Karl Phillips:
But as I watched them, dude, like, they all fall into this, we're gonna move this and help. We're the gate agents. We're doing this, we're doing that and I'm like, there's got to be more. This is not like, and let me be honest with you guys. My wife was the person that gave me like the upper cut. Like I laid down...this is like the first couple of weeks going through the assessment and one night, I'm just kind of like, frowning. And she's like, "Dude, what's going on?" And I'm like, this is true. Like, this is who I am. And I don't know what to do. Like, I'm stuck. I feel like this is the rest of my life. Like, I'm just going to be the help guy. And she said to me, very, very direct. "So you're going to let a piece of paper dictate you and the rest of your life." And I was like, Whoa! Like, truth. Immediate reaction is like, Man, you don't know what you're talking about. Like, I can say that to her, of course, like that. But in my mind, I'm like, man, she don't know, let me just be quiet. But it stuck in my mind Moose. It stuck in my mind. It's like, okay, you're going to let this piece of paper dictate and define who you are and what your life looks like. She said, "The assessment is meant to help you identify where you are. It's not a life sentence. And that's where like, I started kind of like diving into, okay, like, what does that mean? And of course, we talk about this over... guys, like, I'm not sure if y'all understand that we studied this thing, and still study it. Like, we really dive into this and understand what it means for our lives personally, before anybody else hears about it. So as I started looking at it Moose, now I'm starting to understand the tendencies. And I'm starting to see how this tendency is a great tendency for a certain period in your life. So let me talk about it like this. I'll be more direct. We love collaboration. We love working with other people. Like right now, I'm on with Moose and Nicky. Like, this is a regular phone call for us. We talk all the time, right? This is fam. This is fun, we love... I love the collaboration. But I don't want to deal with conflict. And I want to go real slow with that. Conflict is something that we shy...conflict in any form. Right? So, can anybody see the problem with that? Like, we're three different human beings. Like anybody else I work with, there's going to be some kind of conflict. We're never always going to agree it's not possible. So how do I want to collaborate, but I don't want to deal with conflict? So now as I started looking to the assessment Moose, I'm just like, yo, some of the things just don't...it's not going to get me where I'm going. Like, I can't love collaboration, but not deal with conflict, right? I can't want to be a leader and do more, but not make decisions. And that's another area like we're slower to make decisions. It's not like we can't make decisions. We just like to really think things through and try to understand like, okay, so if this happens, then we overthink and over process Moose. And dude, as I started studying the assessment, I'm realizing, if you don't do something, this is my wife's point, if you don't do something about it, if you don't use these tools the way they're supposed to be used, then you are kind of trapped. And you're not going to get the results out of life that you want. But if you understand it, and you can make the adjustments, dude, it's whatever you want it to be and I could go on but I want to I want y'all to y'all guide me in this. I don't want to just talk. Y'all guide me.
Nicky Saunders:
No, you good. You good. So this is what we're gonna do. Cuz I want I want people to know a little bit more about you. And how do you get to where you are? So let's bring it back to like, how this all start with Eric Thomas. Like, where were you? How did y'all meet? What like people want to know.
Karl Phillips:
Got it. Got it. So, short version of the story, Nicky, I'm a little kid growing up in Barbados. Don't get confused y'all. I tell people the "B" is not Boston. Don't get confused. This is Barbados. I know for y'all, it means something else. But this is just my reminder of where I come from, right? But growing up in Barbados, I worked. My dad was a science and math teacher. So I follow the science path. I end up going undergrad doing undergrad in biology. And then I go back to Barbados Nicky, worked for a year in Barbados. And at that age, um, I don't want to go into that I was young. Let me say it like that I was young. Um, but I realized that there's got to be more to life. I was working, I'm getting, you know, I'm getting a check. But I'm like, this can't be it. So I literally worked for a year and I got to do something else. I don't know what it was. My brother is at this time about to go to Michigan State University. So he calls and he's like, Yo, what's up? We're talking. And he's like, Man, you can go to grad school. And I'm like, what's that? Like I honestly had no thought of going back to school, but he was like, yo, you could go to grad school. You could you already got your undergrad in biology, you could just apply and see if you get into grad school. I was like, Alright, I'll follow the path. Man short version. I applied to grad school. I ended up going to Andrews University, which is like, Benton Harbor area here in Michigan, and going to get my master's degree in biology. So I do this whole process. I get done. And literally that summer, Eric moves back to Michigan, we happen to attend the same church. So I'm going to the church and I took a friend with me and my friend was like, "Oh my gosh, like you know Eric Thomas?" And I was like, Who? Eric who? "Like the dude sitting over there" and I'm like, not really like I've seen him the church one or two times, but I have no idea who you're... "Oh, no, he speaks and he does stuff." I was like, cool. I... you know, we'll meet at some point, I'm sure. Um, so we literally so I'm graduating and I literally I applied listen to what I'm telling you this is, um, CSI... what's the show? Yeah CSI was the name of the show. It had just come out. Everybody was into, you know, this crime scene stuff. I was like, dude, I got a science degree. I'm about to be a crime scene, whatever they're called, like, investigator, whatever it is. I applied to every police precinct in the state of Michigan. I'm talking about all the way up north, like zero replies. And the ones that replied denied me. So I'm like, What is going on? So I call them back y'all. And I was like, yo I'll volunteer. Y'all ain't got to pay me because I know who I am. I know I'm a hard worker. I'm gonna get in there. I'm gonna make some stuff happen, right? So you get used to my work ethic. It's a wrap. Dude, they denied the volunteer offer. I'm like, Okay, this is crazy. So I'm watching E at church, and I'm okay, dude, my friend just said you're doing a lot. And truthfully, I ain't doing jack right now. So if you need help with anything, just let me know. And that, my friends, is the end of my story. That was about I don't know, 10-12 years ago. And man, what a ride! What a ride! So we connected back then. C and E had connected maybe, I don't think it was a year yet. They were together a couple a couple months before that. And I literally just started going on campus with them and just whatever. Again, grounds crew y'all. Whatever I could do to help. Like, neither of them are technical. So anything like Yo, we, we got to speak at a school, can you do like a flyer or a little, just a little something? I'm like, yo, truth was no, but I'll figure it out real quick. So I just started just messing around with stuff, figuring stuff out. And I would just sit there and whatever we needed to get done, I try to get it done. My first actual job I shared this a while back on the podcast. But my first actual job was to take them to the airport. I was the driver. That was my first actual job. Like they were taking a group of students out to Crenshaw University to do a session. And they just needed somebody to drive. So I'm like, bet I got y'all. So that was my entry level job with ET. I was gonna drive the team to the airport. But yeah, that was the start, man.
Nicky Saunders:
I love it. Moose.
Mostafa Ghonim:
I like how you said that. "And that's where the story ends", because pretty much the rest is history. Right? It's like, for 10 to 12 years that's how it worked out. Talk, talk to us a little bit more about, one of my favorite parts, which which was a complete shock to me, although I've known you for a good amount of time, as you started to find a role that you were probably going to consistently which is really, I imagine the YouTube space? Like how did that YouTube space and your role in the content and videography space, how did how did that come about? Tell us a little bit about that.
Karl Phillips:
Got you. So I remember the first time I heard Eric speak somewhere. Because again, remember, I had never heard of Eric. I just met him some at the church. So starting to connect, we had some school gig like I'm talking like elementary school. So we all roll to the gig. And I remember sitting in the room Moose and just like, first of all, let me let me paint the picture. But I don't know what to expect. Like, we're going to talk to like a bunch of little kids. Like, I have no idea what what are we going to do? Like I'm just alright, let's just see where it goes. But when we get in that room and E, y'all know E. He's not going to dim it down because you're seven year old. Like E, I'm talkin' about lit the room up. Teachers, administrators, everybody...lit it up. And I remember Moose walking out of that room and saying to myself, like wait a minute, what we just experienced, and I'm talking about like chills, you know? Like, I can't explain to you what I experienced because I never been exposed to that right? The first first time hearing E I'm like, Whoa! Like...I can't... like what...just what happens now? Like what? Like, I'm like, I can't figure...like dude that can't end in that room. Like people people need to hear that. Like that was so powerful! Like kids all across the country, administrators all across the world need to hear that. How do we do that? And it's just like, well, we got to start recording it. And truthfully, we don't know anything. We don't know how to do it. So let me just kind of fast forward a bit. That same trip to Crenshaw that they took. They brought footage back and this is how I met Ken and some of you guys know Ken. He worked with the ETA family for a couple years. But Ken literally was the person...he was in grad school doing video production at the time. And Ken would, he took the footage and started making some, just just kind of put some content together. I literally Moose went and stood over Ken's shoulder for two weeks straight. Day in, day out. If he was at work at 7:30 in the morning. I
was there at 7:
00. Let's hear what I'm saying closely. If he was there until 9, I was there until 9:30. Like whatever he was doing, I stood glued to his shoulder other than going to the bathroom. I stood with my man every single day for two weeks straight. I figured out the software. I figured out the camera equipment. I figured out everything he was doing. And I was like, Yo, I got it. Let's get to work. So we didn't have any equipment. We didn't have anything. That's how we started just using the equipment from Michigan State University and that kind of stuff then. But Ken was he was kind of you know, he was in grad school so he was kind of busy so he couldn't take it on fully. So I was with Ken. But I was with ETA, so I would learn with Ken and we... and it worked out that we actually were in the same building when we were you know, operating on campus. So I would literally just go up there with Ken for a while, come back and that just piece by piece, Moose just literally learning. I'll never forget. I did this my first edit and I had this Nicky's gonna laugh at me. I had this page turn effect in it, Nicky. Oh, I thought it was killing the game. Like I had this graphic and to transition, you just saw the page turning. E on the other page. Dude. Ken was like, "Do not ever do that again." I thought I was crushing it. Moose I thought I was killing the game. He looked ro me and was like don't ever do that foolishness again. But that was my start man, just humble. Like literally just, I'm going to figure it out. I'm going to figure it out. So I have Ken as just kind of a resource. And then whatever E was shooting, whatever he was doing, I'm recording, I'm gonna try to put it together. So that's, that was the beginning of it. And YouTube came about specifically because we'd recorded the infamous Guru Speech, right? Um, and E had a presentation for the incoming freshmen. And we're like, yo, y'all need to see this. But where is it? Like, how do we do that? And it's like, Okay, let me go figure it out. And we went online, and figured out, oh, there's this platform called YouTube, we can upload the content to. And boom. So we started, that was like the birth of YouTube. We put that on there just for those students. And, again, the rest is history.
Nicky Saunders:
That's crazy. That's crazy. So I think you saw that YouTube was starting to work, right? What time what, what exactly did you know when it was like, yo, we got a brand? And what was the first step that you had to do once it started
Karl Phillips:
So it's it's, the hard part about that question is working? Nicky is like, we did things every single day to be honest. But it wasn't like we were looking to see trends...it was daily, you know? Like we talk about, like my kids, like, I don't see the growth in them. But you go with Moose, you come back and see my kids now you're gonna be like, man, they're huge. So it was kind of that experience for us. It was a day to day grind. Like every single day, we were working on something. Like making stuff up. I'm not playing. Like we're making brochures and flyers, and we're just making stuff up. We
Nicky Saunders:
Make sense. Moose. are traveling, we're going to schools. Like I said, we went out to Cali a couple of times, did the school there. And it just felt and again, y'all put this all in the context of the grounds crew support role. I was in heaven, right? I'm doing purpose. I'm with some dudes that's rockin solid. We're changing the world. Like I didn't need nothing else in life. So to be honest, Nicky, it was probably years down the line. Like it wasn't even something that I would say like at the beginning.I remember we got a call from I think the Pistons. And that was kind of like, was it the Pistons? Ei her the Pistons or whichever th first and I think it would it was the Pistons was the first N A team that called and I was like, Whoa, the Pistons called u ? Like, to me that was kind f like a big cuz like for us, e has done colleges. We had sta ted doing, you know, a whole lo of schools just across the coun ry. So it was like everything was just such a natural progress on. But when the NBA called it as like Oh, this like a real ste now you know what I mean? So I' say that moment, like I heard nd I was we were in we wer in Phoenix doing an event for Quicken Loans. E and I were in Phoenix or what was t? Scottsdale, it was Scottsd le. And I remember E answering t e phone. And it was like Joe umars or somebody calling. I was like, you said who? And h put it on speakerphone. I'm listening. They're like, "Yo, w at up E man? We'd love to have you!" You know I'm just sitting there like, Yo, this is unreal Like this the Pistons so that would be my answer, Nicky, but it's a tough...it was just a gra ual, like, you know, process t rougho
Mostafa Ghonim:
Now, I imagine at some point, okay, now, you find your role. You're getting good at what you do. You're picking up traction, people are responding. You got the attention of the NBA or major sports teams. What were some of those early challenges, right, where people think that "Oh, i just seems like a straight sho to the top" just because mayb you were an early adapter o YouTube. Right? You guys wer fortunate. Tell us a little bi about maybe some of the earl challenges that you almost don' think about anymore, bu definitely could have turne this thing around. You know, Go forbid, had you not gotten unde control.
Karl Phillips:
Hmm. So truth be told. We were again, we there was no, like, how do I want to say? We didn't have a direct line of focus. So it wasn't like we were planning to go to the NBA. You know what I'm saying? We weren't planning to go here. We weren't planning. It was like every like I said everyday grind. The thing that I think I would say one of the things that really made a shift Moose, and I'm trying to really think it through because I want I want people to like you know understand the process. One of the things that really changed our trajectory was not us. Giovanni, I don't know if you guys remember Giovanni took the Secrets to Success video and he redid the video with him working out to. And if you guys don't know it, just go look that up. But it was a different name, I forgot the name. But he took the same video that E did the
Secrets to Success:
The Guru Story. But he put himself working out to it at the time, he was trying out to get to the NFL. And he put himself working out to this video. So he's doing you know, these crazy sprints and doing all this crazy stuff. And Moose that was a huge transition for us, nothing to do with us. But it was a huge transition for us. Because watch this. What people were seeing is this guy, a loud, black guy in a classroom talking to kids. That's what people were seeing. It was powerful. But it was in that context. Now when Giovanni's working out to it, it all of a sudden kind of opened up the horizons for us because oh, it's not only it doesn't only apply to schools anymore. Like now it's applying to as bad as you want to breathe, I don't care where you are in life. It now applies across the board. So when people started seeing him and his video went bananas, ours was growing steadily. But his just went bananas. So as people are starting to look at that video Moose, and this was, again, I don't remember the year, it's just a blur. But when people started looking at his video, now that kind of opened up their lens to see like, oh, what this dude is saying is bigger than that. So that for us that I can't tell you that there was something specific that we could have done, we would we were on a steady path. We were growing right from week to week. But I think by putting things in action Moose, that allowed, let's let's just say nature to take its course. Now there's outside influences that are actually coming to help propel this motion that we're on. Does that make sense?
Mostafa Ghonim:
Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. It's crazy. Because I feel like in a way, it's it's ordained, like, if you think about it, people are watching the video. But rather than getting caught up in the video, and just kind of like, going on to the next one, there was something about the sound of the voice. They were like, "Wait, but who's that guy?" Right? And it's like, that's the part that I always feel really built a lot of the success because when they went back and said or looked for, who's that guy, that's when they stumbled across all the work that you had created, I imagine.
Karl Phillips:
Yep. And again, we had now started by this time, we were creating the TGIM so it's a weekly video. By the time you go search, "Who's the guy? Oh, that's this dude called Eric Thomas. Oh, let me search Eric Thomas. Oh, you got like a whole two seasons of TGIM up here. Oh, there's some there's some stuff that we can look at." And dude, again, just constant just constant, like just motion like a body in motion. Right? We just kept moving man. So it couldn't help but grow.
Mostafa Ghonim:
That's a huge lesson there.
Karl Phillips:
I think I counted 3 Nicky. I think that's 3 so far. I don't know what the record is but I'm counting.
Nicky Saunders:
Hey, we're gonna get more. So here's my question. What was the first whether it's physical or digital product that you guys did that you were like, Okay, this one works? And then let's see if I could get him to open up. Which one didn't Yeah, you know, I always gotta, you know, I gotta do it.
Karl Phillips:
Man, um, who so the the book Secrets to Success and audio book that combination was was real. Like we had I think the number was like close to 500 pre orders for the Secrets to Success book. And yeah that was that that we knew something was going because that was kind of like we did y'all heard CJ talk about the T shirts. So I'm trying to find something else Nicky, cuz the T shirts is definitely the one that that we did not work. Oh, so I'm trying to find something else with that one. Um, but the Secrets to Success book and audio book. And those of you that have not listened to the audio, but we, to be honest, we have not pushed that a lot. But it's an amazing product. So if you have not go, it's on Audible. You can go grab that. But that that combination of products was amazing. Now what didn't work? Ah, well, we had a couple of different designs for the "when you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe" shirt and I don't have them. I'll try to get them to you, Nicky. But we just had some that were yeah, they just were not the ones. They were not the ones.
Nicky Saunders:
I'm trying to have them. I'm trying to have them.
Karl Phillips:
Yeah, CJ has them. We'll find them we'll find them. But we had a couple of designs that was like, Mm hmm. And again, we started with T shirts primarily. So anything that didn't work would have been a T shirt design at that point. Because again, it was still new, right? But by the time we got to the book, we started creating momentum. We had given so much to the audience that the thing that we always say is that the audience felt like that owed us something like just a thank you. So dude, a $25 shirt. You know what I mean? The $30 whatever the book was at the time, it felt like they connected with us in such a way that man, whatever it is, we are going to support you. But yeah, Nicky, I ain't got nothing. The shirt would see the biggest blunder that we had for sure, for sure.
Nicky Saunders:
Um, let me ask a follow up real quick. Um, when did you know it was time to do products?
Karl Phillips:
Hmm. There was a demand. There was a demand. Yeah, people started, and I'm trying to remember some more specific, but from the videos. And again, we're doing these videos weekly. So people are starting to kind of, you know, become a part of the tribe, right? They're responding and they're asking for stuff. And there'll be a couple of comments about man, that should be a shirt. Man, that should be a...you know what I'm saying? Does this dude have a book? Does this like, or what's your recommended books? Like stuff like that. So people started kind of hinting at some stuff. And it's just like, oh, like, if we pay attention, like, really what they're saying is like, we need more from you. We need something in a different form from you. So what is that? So, yeah, that would be...yeah, that would be it.
Nicky Saunders:
Moose, I got a follow up, but I'm gonna let you ask.
Mostafa Ghonim:
Yeah, yeah. Well, what take us down that path, Karl. So, how long do you stay in that role? You know, with E? Obviously, you're still with the company now. But just in that particular role with media content, what was the like, what was how far did you ride that out?
Karl Phillips:
Dude, so and I laugh when I think back of these stories. So those of you that follow us closely, CJ, his wife, Candace had gotten a position with GE. So CJ and Candace, were literally traveling across the world. Like, you know, they were doing different six month rotation. So E and I were doing TGIM, but then when gigs came most I'm traveling with E to the gigs. So we're, you know, whatever equipment we have, by this time, we're trying to now we got a couple of shirts we're trying to sell, we got a couple of books we're trying to sell. So I want y'all to think of this picture like like, see the whole picture, we get to an event, E's about to go speak on stage. It's just E and I so we got to set up the product table. I got to go set up the slides. We got to get the merch out. I don't even know how we're watching the merchant people...I don't even remember. I don't know. But merch is out on the table. We got to sell it right? E's getting ready to go speak, slides are setting up, I'm making sure the audio for the house sounds good because I don't want E going in there... We went to a couple places and E's blowin his voice out. Y'all know. He just gone give, give give. He's blowin his voice out. So I'm like, No, we need to turn that up. I don't care. Turn that up. So we're trying to get the room set up. Then I got to go back and set up the cameras. Then I got to go back and set up our audio recording because that we learned early Moose that I can't wait on them to send me their audio like that's that never worked. "Oh, you know, yeah, we record and sends you" I was like, okay, appreciate it. But no, we got our own. So I'm making sure E's mic'd up, batteries in the mic. There's so many things happen. I'll be honest, I don't know how we did it all. I don't know. But Moose, through that we just learned...you know, we learned so much. You know what I mean? We learned so much. So we start to get more efficient with things. So truth be told. I did that. When did I stop? But Nicky came on. Nicky, when did you come on? That's probably when I stopped to that extent Moose. Ted came on...Actually, let me go back. Ted came on. Ashanti she would help with the merch as you would travel. Ted would take on the merch part of it. But then in terms of the media side, like I did up until Nicky came on and Nicky was such a savage. Can I tell Nicky's story? I'll tell them. Nicky was working full time. She was working full time and was just like if y'all need help, and I'm like Nicky, don't play with me. I need a lot of help. There's a million things going on. I'm trying to edit shoot, we're traveling, we're doing all this and she was like bet. Moose, Nicky would get stuff done. I'm talking about like, I don't know. First of all, I don't think she really had a job let me just say that personally, She said that I don't think so.
Nicky Saunders:
Hold on! No, I had I had a full time, I had a full time job. I was a whole IT person before this lifestyle. Don't don't get it twisted. Don't do that.
Karl Phillips:
You got to show me like some W2's or something Moose. I would send her something and it will be done in 30 minutes. I'm talking about like videos, like stuff to post, it will be done in 30 minutes or less. Listen to what I'm saying in the middle of the day. So I'm like oh yeah, she's not working. She just lying. She tried. She just tryna tryna impress me. She ain't working for real. She just tryna sound like she's busy. But no. So up until that point Nicky came almost and took the video production, social media, IT side all that she cut that in half for me. Like immediately. Before being on staff. Listen to what I'm saying. Before being on staff. She was still working full time. So up until that point, man it was, this was a couple of years. So I'd say five, six years strong that you know, that was the role. And I still continued doing media you know, but of course, like I said, Nicky just kind of brought that down and down and down and down. And now. I'm like Yo, Nicky, just go. I ain't even want to touch it. You savage.
Nicky Saunders:
Okay, well, so because I'm going to try not to speak about me, but I will speak a little bit. Um, so before me, right? What was the point? Because the way you described things it seemed like a lot, it just seemed, seemed a bit heavy, right? Um, was there a particular day, event, situation that you were like, Okay, I need to duplicate myself. This is this is too much. I can't. This is... I'm doing 19 million things. And I'm one person and I have a whole wife and kids and stuff like that. Like, was there a particular time?
Karl Phillips:
So here's the dangerous part. And I'll tie it back in with the ground crew. The dangerous part about that Nicky is it was every day. Every day, I knew it was too much. But there's...it was every day. It's a part of, and again, like I told you, we were grinding, like not playing. I don't know if people understand this. But like, there was no holidays. Like, there was no birthdays, like we were working every single day doing something. So like, there was a time of course, before we started with just sitting in the room meeting, talking, working on documents, whatever. But there was a time now when we're on the road, like I'm saying, like, E finished speaking, we got a flight at 4:00 tomorrow morning to get back home for someone else we got to do. And the edit still got to be done. So guess what? We get back from the gig, pack, merchandise pack all that. I'll pack my stuff for the flight, put it there. And then I got to sit down and edit to get it done. I might sleep for an hour, I might sleep for an hour and a half. Then we got to get up at the airport and we weren't traveling first class. We weren't it wasn't none of that then. We had to drive an hour to get to the airport. Like it was real. Take the rental car back, get in the line like everybody else. See what I'm saying? So it was every single day it was too much. But Moose my desire to be a part of this thing was so great that I was willing to just stick in that role for for let me just be honest, for too long. I should have duplicated myself, Nicky in year one, year two, like that was necessary. But again, as we talked about the assessment and understanding yourself and your tendencies, that was the thing that I love that just like being a part of this thing so much that I didn't take care of myself in a process. That's the truth.
Mostafa Ghonim:
No, I mean, stay stay on, stay on that that same breath though, like, you're now realizing, okay, I'm willing to stay because maybe it gives meaning, it gives purpose, you love the impact and what's happening, that I'm willing to kind of carry the burden although I'm probably doing too much. But there's a next step, right? Like, I don't know, I guess I'm trying to pinpoint the moment where you wanted to do more. But those previous programs of what you were accustomed to kept pulling you back like "No, no Karl, you can't be a leader, you can't launch your own program, or you can't do that. Did that happen at any point? And you know, like, how did you kind of begin to seek help, or begin to shut that noise down? So, so you can introduce where you're at now.
Karl Phillips:
So the truth is Moose, I stayed busy. So I didn't have to think like that. Because I didn't want to think I don't want to say I was successful in the area that I was doing. You get what I'm saying? Like things were working. I was getting the stuff done. It was beating me up, right? And please don't take us out of context. It was beating all of us up. It's not like E was working me hard. No, E was exhausted too. So don't think like it was like that, like I want to make that clear for people. Um, but just the biggest transition, I would say Moose in this, it'll take you a slightly different way than where you were going with your question, but it's having my son. When Jordan was born. That was like, a moment where I was like, "Oh, this is bad." Because now I have a newborn son. And now listen to what I'm saying, don't laugh at me. Now my son is sitting on my lap at three o'clock in the morning while I'm editing in the other hand. So it's like, I'm going to find a way to get it all done regardless. Like, who needs sleep? Like I'll figure it out later on. My son can't sleep. He's up at three o'clock. Cool. Well, if I'm up, I got to get up anyway, I'll let my wife sleep. And I'll go in there and literally, he's sitting on my lap with this hand, and I got the mouse. I got literally just trying to edit with the other hand, until one day I figured out Nicky that he liked Bobby McFerrin. Like I guess Bobby McFerrin was engaging enough. So I would literally just put, I don't know what device I had. Something, maybe my wife's computer or something right there on the side next to me, and he would watch Bobby McFerrin and I would sit there and edit three o'clock, four o'clock, five o'clock, six o'clock in the morning. And Moose, like all this time, I'm knowing... so I'm believing in what we're doing. And I'm believing that someday here's the part that I think where I, I, I admit that I've gone wrong. I knew that I needed help. I knew that it wasn't, I couldn't keep going like this forever. Either I'd get sick or you know what I'm saying? It just couldn't keep going like that. But I wasn't bold enough, courageous enough to ask for help, to seek out like, "Yo, somebody needs to come help." Like, I just literally just ate whatever came my way. Like, I'ma figure it out. We're gonna get it done. Um, and the hurdle is we were getting it done. I was having success. So that's the part that makes it scary, right? If things were failing, I probably would have been forced to do something different, right? But because things were working, like, Alright, just keep going this week. "By the end of this year, it's gonna change." That's what I keep saying. "This month it's gonna change. Man, two more years, and I promise you, we gonna be over the hump, and it's gonna get easier." And the truth is, we weren't getting over the hump. I wasn't getting over the hump. That makes sense? I was still in that zone of man the more I do, the more touch, the more we gone get it. Keep going. And there was some time where my family where my wife, my son, like, well, he couldn't talk then, but my wife would have to have real conversation with me like, "Dude, you're not balanced, you're way off. Like you're putting like, your, your family has come in, like second or third to the other stuff that you got going on." And here's the funny part, y'all, man, it's so dangerous Moose. E and CJ were like, "Dude, you need to go..." E literally said, "Dude, I don't care how long you took off. When your son is born go somewhere. I don't want to see you." He told the staff don't call me, don't contact me. And I was still involved. You see what I'm saying? So it was like a very deep rooted, like, I got to add value. Like I got to be a part of this thing. So like, dude, I, I pigeon holed myself for so long into that until, I think, until the assessment Moose. Truthfully, until the assessment. Chris Daniel stood we were in somewhere out west. I want to say...man, I could see the room. I remember where we I want to say like, it wasn't San Diego anyway, somewhere out west. And he said, "Man, y'all are like, sufferers in silence." And when I tell you, there's something inside of me Moose that I was like, dude, I've never heard it expressed. But I resonate with that, like, that's how I feel. You never gonna look at me as a whiner. I don't want to complain about it. But that's what I'm doing. I'm suffering in silence and like, dude, like, if you don't ask for help, it's not gonna come. Right? If you don't put that out there, it's not going to come. So how long do you keep going doing the way you're doing it the way you're doing it? You know, before like I said, you either get sick or whatever, like, you got to find a way. So that was kind of like, the first you know, thing that I kind of like, okay, you you Yeah, this is real. Like, you got to do something. And just let's be real, Chris was how many years ago? Like we were introduced to the assessment, maybe four? I don't know, my timeline. But maybe I'd say maybe four years ago.
Nicky Saunders:
It's been that long?
Mostafa Ghonim:
Yeah, yeah, it's about four and a half. Yeah.
Karl Phillips:
So...seven, eight years operating with that, you know, with that paradigm, not seeing myself in leadership. Not seeing myself, seeing myself as support, even though I'm telling you every single opportunit E got, E's calling me on stage. He's trying to put me in the position. He's forcing me into these lanes. And I'm just not embracing it. I'm not because I'm, I'm just seeing myself here. So yeah. That's five! We gettin up here! We gettin up there!
Nicky Saunders:
Listen, okay, so tell us a story that was the most impactful for you as far as you knowing that. Yeah, this works. Like this brand really, like there's a point to being here. There's a point to working this hard. There's a point for all of this happening. Like what was that story for you? That that really impacted you?
Karl Phillips:
I mean, that's a lot of them. So I'll give you the short one is I'm starting to look at the comments on YouTube and watch people like really have transformational moments. Like I'm reading a comment, okay, we put a video out on YouTube, cool, whatever. And again, please perspective y'all...videos weren't popular then. Right? We put a video out and people are responding like, Man, this just changed my life. Man. This just man, thank you so much. Like I felt like you were in a room talking to me. So that was the, I'd say the initial Nicky. But I remember, I'll never forget this. We were in Australia. And there's a...Australia y'all! Right, right? Michigan State campus, you know, just sitting in the office and now we're in Australia. And this lady walks up to Eric. So I'm always again, ground screws, a lot of roles, so as we we're walking, as we're doing stuff, I'm always kind of looking around. I'm not a security guard. So I'm not trying to say like I'm trying to protect E, but I'm trying to see, I'm always looking to see if anybody recognizes E. Like I don't know why. Like I'm always walking around looking. I saw this lady. I'm talking about like, I don't know how far but way down the street. And I'm watching and she has this kind of look, and you always see this look like "Is that? No I can't be. Like..." And I'm watching her face and I'm like, I think somebody know you out here. Get ready, buckle up buddy, here comes another one. And she comes over slowly cuz she's cautious. Like it doesn't make sense. Like he in Australia...like there's no way. And before even like any thing, like she just literally starts hugging E and in tears. And I'm like, what, like what's going on? Like what's happening? And she just started expressing how it was either her or her husband, I don't want to I don't remember I'll be honest, but either her husband literally watched the videos daily and beat cancer. And I'm just like, Whoa, did you just say cancer? Like she said cancer, like a real disease. Like you're watching videos and you're telling me that from the video...cancer? So, like moments like that Nicky and I'll be honest, there's so many of those moments. And in Hartford, Connecticut, our first conference, I remember the second morning we were doing I guess this little meet and greet with E and this lady similar experience. So I could see this, there's a bunch of these but this lady was like my son. She's like, my son was off. Like I'm talking about like going down that path, like about to be in jail or dead. And she said, I turned him on to your videos and now my man is locked in in school. He's was a high school kid. He's doing his work. He's cut off, he's cut off his friends. And she's boohoo and crying and Moose, of course, I'm in position with the camera right over E's shoulder. So I'm hearing everything. And I'm like, Whoa, like, I just like doing the videos that felt good. You know, I felt like they would help people but no, no people's lives are being transformed from the work that we're putting in man. So I, when I tell you like hundreds of those stories, Nicky, but the more we'd see them the more anywhere we travel, people just started walking up and you could imagine that's got more and more and more and more and more. It's just like oh, wow, like, yo, we doing something huge. And truth be told we weren't popular like that yet. Right? But still, you could get the bits and pieces of people here no matter what city we went to there was somebody who's like oh man, and the thing we always say is like they weren't like fanned out. "Oh my God it's ET!" No, it was always like "Whoa, dude, thank you." Tears like gratitude. Like Sensei wasn't on no fanned out. Like "Man I just want to really sincerely say thank you like you're helping my family, you're changing my life." Like that kind of stuff. So yeah, the yeah that that messes with me every time Nicky to just see like, think about it. From a microphone, a camera, a computer, we can have that impact on the world.
Mostafa Ghonim:
Number six! Number six! I love it. I love it. But But Karl, I also remember man, there was a time where it wasn't, or at least it there was a shift happening. It wasn't just E getting the hugs and people come, you know people going up to him and recognizing him. You started having that factor too right? Where people were like "Karl! Man!" Right? Like they was so exciting to see you...absolutely!
Karl Phillips:
Very, very uncomfortable Moose because again, man I just want to be behind the scenes so bad, but y'all know E. E is about... E is as high a flight attendant as you could get. So he's about US! Team all day! So E's on stage every presentation E's talking about "Oh, y'all don't get me thanks for the video. It's Karl! Look, he right there with the camera. He right there with the camera. He right..." And everywhere we would go, like again, he always said you know he would always bring CJ and I with him wherever we went. Right? We may not have been onstage but we were with him and everything that he did. So yeah, Moose. It's weird. Now people are coming up to me like "Man Karl, man, thank you so much." And I'm there's a part of us like, what you thanking me for? I ain't do nothin. Like what do you... what are you talking about? But again, I got to keep the face and keep the straight face and listen, and people are like really like, "Man, thanks so much. Y'all are doing so much. Like man, the good work you're doing." And truth Moose, this is me. And I don't want to call it humility. But this is me not embracing who I was. It was uncomfortable. It was uncomfortable for me because people are saying... I'm still looking like E is my hero. So people are coming and telling me like "Man, the stuff that you and E doing man..." in my mind I'm like I ain't doing nothing. I'm just letting y'all see how dope E is. But E's telling them like y'all gotta see how dope Karl is. So it was like this weird little thing for me. I'm like E... like, sure I like the appreciation and all that, but I ain't really want people coming up to me like that. But it was a moot point. And at some point Moose, I had to just kind of accept it. It wasn't stopping like it just increased an increased and now people are coming up to me like, "Man, are you apart of it? Like you did this." And now people are seeing me like wow, like you helped build the ETA brand. I had to I have to still embrace it and not run from it Moose, but it was very uncomfortable. That process was uncomfortable.
Nicky Saunders:
Back with the claps! Um, okay, so when so you helped build this huge brand, right? And when did you know you had to do a brand for yourself? Like what was talk to us about that situation of what you have right now. I don't want to give too much about it. I want you to say it, but now you have something. But you built something, you could have just stayed right there. What happened?
Karl Phillips:
Exposure man! Exposure, environment. Again, I'm around Eric CJ, of course, we got Mal now, Josh. I'm around people that aren't satisfied with today. Like I'm around people that aren't satisfied with what they're doing now. Like now is good, we're gonna work, we're going to do stuff, but nobody's satisfied with it. And there came a point for me that I'm looking like, dude, where like, it just started make me question like, what are you doing? Like every presentation I hear from E now, like, I'm not listening, like to edit. Like, I'm listening like you listening, right? I'm listening like, Oh, he's talking to me too. Like, are you taking care of your family the way you supposed to? Are you... you know what I'm saying? So I'm really processing like, Okay, cool. This was good. We established it, you know, but Karl, Is this it? Like, is this literally like, and when I tell y'all, like I would say, "Okay, so Karl, like if this was your entire purpose now. So you're saying you can die now and you're good." And I'm like, Whoa, that's getting kind of real now. Like what? So if I died like, Karl did TGIM and help build ETA, that's my legacy. That's it. Not a bad legacy, not by any means. But I'm like, dude, like, I still feel like you got so much in you. Like there's so much more. And man, so here's the truth y'all cuz they gone act like they was all nice to me. The two people that I'm talking to would call me every day and kick me in the chest. The both of them. Both of them, y'all. I'm talking about like, it was like Nicky would call them Monday. Moose would call on Tuesday. Nicky would call on Wednesday. Moose would call on Thursday. They're like, "Dude, like, What is wrong with you? Why aren't you doing more? Like we see who you are. We see how dope you are you sitting here like you can't do this behind the scenes thing forever." And, man, let me just say, I appreciate both of you guys because y'all were part of this equation that helped me to step out of my comfort zone. I'm, I'm literally at the point. So of course, let's let's just be real. I'm going into this year. And I'm saying again, Nicky, the end of this year has to be different from when it starts. The end of this year has to be different. I don't want to finish another year Moose as just the support guy, as just the grounds crew guy. And again, please I like to say this in context. I'm never trying to leave ETA. It's not a against ETA. It's none of that. It's we've done this, what else can I add? So I'm sitting here, Nicky, and I'm, I'm being real with myself, like, man, I don't really edit as much no more. We got a team now. So I'm not really doing videos much. I don't really feel like that's my lane. So let me just kind of, I don't know if I could, like I learned media to teach myself how to do TGIM. I didn't go to school to learn, like movies and Hollywood and really... like, that's not where I went, right? So I never saw myself as the movie guy to teach people how to do this. I literally went to class and came back to edit on Sunday, like Saturday night for Sunday. That was my educational experience with video. But Moose there's a transition that hit me at the top of this year after y'all jump kicked me 47 times. Like, dude, this is what you have in your hand. And this is what people know you for. Like you've built a whole brand with media. And now you're saying to me that you don't think you're great in media, you don't think and these are conversations I'm having with myself. Like you don't want to put this out. You don't want to do this, you feel like you gone... and I started Moose just sitting down. Of course, we're dealing with this pandemic mess. And I'm like, okay, you're not going to come out of this pandemic the same. I don't know how long it's gonna take. But I want to do something that if, at the end of this pandemic, I can say I have a project that I created in the pandemic. That was me going into the top of this year. So we're talking about February, March, I'm going into it, and I sat down Moose and I was like okay, I'm gonna use what I have in my hand. I started doing these slides and they both know they're gonna laugh at me. But I did these slides, listen to what I'm telling y'all. In March I created this whole slideshow just going through all the basics of video production like how to use a camera. What's the lens? Like even if you don't have a camera let's try to understand your phone. Like what are you doing? And I put the presentation together and I showed both of them and again guys for me it's not it's like it's kind of stuff I know. But they both look to me like Dude, I will smack you right now if you don't have some product in the world now.
Mostafa Ghonim:
Sounds about right. Sounds about right. We said it a little bit more PG. But yeah, that was it.
Nicky Saunders:
Oh, yes I didn't. No i didn't.
Karl Phillips:
They kicked me in the mouth. Oh no, they took me out to where did we go? When y'all were here. Like they came here and y'all toook me out to eat.
Mostafa Ghonim:
That's right. Before the shut down.
Karl Phillips:
I was, listen I was getting I'm talking about a beat down, y'all. This wasn't no joke. But again, they helped me to start seeing things in a different way. Like, okay, Karl, you... Here's the truth. I had this fear that if I start to teach video, I would get video professionals coming to learn. And like I said, I didn't see myself confident in that lane, because I didn't learn it like that, in my mind. Oh, man, I want to fast forward to the end and tell y'all that I got 98% of people that have never done video that are now attracted to the brand that I'm building. Ninety eight percent of the people. Moose, the kicker part, and this is where I, like, I want people to hear what I'm saying. If you any grounds crew, or if you're introvert, I don't care where you are, whatever you are, whatever you are on the assessment, like get out of your own head. Get out of your own head. I'm saying take action and do something. And the reason I say that Moose, so I started with these slides like I told you guys. The slides ended up you know what, Karl, let's just start doing some videos. I still have no real direction. But I'm going to start doing something that's doing videos I call Moose. I started sending Moose and Nicky like, here's an edit. I just did this today. And to be honest, y'all that made it worse for me. They were like, dude, not only are you like dope with the information like you can teach it. What is wrong with you? They're cussing me out again. So now I'm like, okay, like, I'm gonna try to put something together. And I kind of built it. Here's the truth y'all. The thing that I built Nicky and Moose, I haven't released yet. This is what are we in November? I haven't released the thing that I built in March yet. This is the part I want people to hear. I started taking action. But even that action, how do I want to say it was a part of the process to get me to where I am now. So I'm introducing you to the Solo Creator Pro brand and listen to what I'm saying. Because I had practice going and creating content for all these months doing it, overthinking, redoing it, Nicky, I'm shooting myself. So half the days I end up not being in focus, and I come back and I got to redo it. But after going through all of that Moose, I was able to sit down and create the Solo Creator Pro course in less than a week. And when I say less than a week, y'all, not less than a week in terms of like I rushed through it. No, no, I went through all the content and I figured out crap, it's only a couple of things that people need to go to get started to take them from zero to hero with their phone, it's only a couple of things that you need to know. And I can I can simplify that for you. Listen to what I'm telling you. We did a 21 day challenge in 21 days. And Moose, I'm finding out that it's too much. And the first four and five days, people are like oh my gosh, like Dude, I didn't know that. We could do that. Or if I just did that. Or if I just added this if I just... simple little tips Moose that I was overthinking all these other months trying to create content. Again, one week, we took the top 10 things. And then because I took action, y'all now I got somebody else. I got Quincy Harris, if y'all don't know who he is, please go check Q out. Q is that guy. Like the city of Philadelphia, like, I think Q got the keys to the city. Like he's that guy. Because I'm starting to take action, now I'm seeing other people that are taking action that are connecting with me. Like Q was like, yo, you got behind the camera, I can share stuff in front of the camera, y'all. So we put a challenge together that I don't care if you're introvert, I don't care if you extrovert, I don't care if you shot a video. I don't care if you never shot a video, I don't care. I don't care if you know how to turn your phone on or off, we literally take you from like, yo, here's a couple of tips that you can do 10 days behind the camera, here's some stuff that you can do. And then Q comes in like yo here's 10 days of what it's like being in front of the camera. We are we're almost done with the first challenge. We open again in December for the second the second cohort to come through. And Moose, the reviews that we're getting like I'm and when I tell you I'm in there again, I OD y'all. So I'm obsessed with work, right? I'm in the group every single night, every single video commenting every one. That's why I show you the before and after videos in just a week, in 10 days. Their minds are blown. They're looking at this like whoa, like are you kidding me? I can be this confident. Not that I'm saying not just the technical. I can be this confident in front of the camera in just a week? So now I got to look back at myself and say Moose man, I am so embarrassed. I could have done this five years ago because I'm still teaching the basic principles. I didn't even get into nothin deep. I'm teaching the very very basics that people can just take like I said their phone and go into it. But yeah, I'm embarrassed Moose that it took me that long. I'm truly embarrassed.
Mostafa Ghonim:
I don't I don't want you to speed past that, though, because I think that's the stage that a lot of people unfortunately don't make it out of where they experienced some level of success. But they're still operating below their potential. And for whatever reason, they just can't see themselves the way the world sees them. Right? Like Nicky and I were, like you said, almost abusing you, in a good way, right? For good reason at least with good intention.
Karl Phillips:
I ain't say almost. They were abusing me y'all.
Nicky Saunders:
I was not abusing. I was not. Just letting you know.
Mostafa Ghonim:
But but now that you can at least, now that you're on the other side of it and and you can definitely start to see, you know, why we were saying what we were saying, can you help someone who's in that stage right now, that's not seeing themselves, the way others are seeing them? And maybe they're telling him or her like, yo you should do this, you got to do this. Come on,go go. And, and while they want to do it, they're just stuck. And, you know, I never believed that someone wants to be a failure, or someone wants to be stuck, or someone doesn't want to be happy. Right? There's something internal there that's holding you back. And I think you just recently unlocked that. And I think it's awesome, would be great if you definitely can talk about that a little bit more like, what was it? At the end of the day what was it? Maybe it was something not even as big as you thought it was? But ultimately, what was it? Well, at least give us a piece of it.
Karl Phillips:
I'll give you two things Moose. The first one is, I'll go to nice one first. The nice one first, and I'll come back with how Nicky and Moose treated me. So the first one Moose is you think too much about what other people think. That's the first one. You're really, really consumed about what other people think about you. And I think like that is so dangerous. Like it's so dangerous. Like I got this whole thing now where I process and it's like, if you do anything against the grain, let's think about it. So you got all these holidays, Thanksgiving, right? There's certain activities that everybody does on Thanksgiving, there's certain activities that everybody does on Christmas. Nicky, how long did I have my Christmas tree up?
Nicky Saunders:
Do you still have it up?
Karl Phillips:
No, I don't. I took it down in August this year Moose. And the top of this year, I started Moose, I started doing things to prove to myself like why are you concerned with what other people think? So I left my Christmas tree up til August and everybody's like, "Yo why do you got your Christmas tree up?" Because I want it up. You still light it up? Not often, but sometimes. Is that a problem? Sometimes. I like it. Like I like the Christmas spirit. Why can't I have that in August? I can light it up. You know what I'm saying? I can light it up. Let's remove that. Yeah, okay. Somebody just tuning in like, I didn't know Karl was getting down like that. So no Moose, I started proving to myself, you don't have to be concerned about what other people think. Good or bad. Right? Listen to I'm saying good or bad. Those people that think very highly of me, I appreciate it. But I need to be able to think highly of myself and prove to myself that I'm I am that. Whatever you think of, I'm that. And those people that don't think highly of me, it doesn't matter. I'm going to prove to myself that I am higher than what you think of you see what I'm saying? So I started doing simple things. Like I said the Christmas tree. Like I just started doing things that, watch this Moose, doing things that made Karl happy. That, I don't know if that will go over people's head. But I started getting up at 4:30 in the morning and going to the gym when I could. That was before all this right? And I would do an hour in the gym and come back home. And that would set my day up in a way like again, I wanted to feel like I had full control over my day. So no matter what I had, Moose, think about this. I go workout for hour and I would push myself in the gym, right? I know y'all can't see it, but I worked out. But I've pushed myself in the gym when I get back home dude, like the first hour of my day was the hardest hour of my day. Like I had to physically endure like working out. So anything else that came in that day, dude, I don't care what you think I don't care how you feel like I did the hardest thing already. So I literally started putting like these. We call it habit stacking little things in my life and just kind of building on them to just kind of get me out of what people think. And at that, at that point most is just like okay, so if I don't care what people think then what do I want? What do I like? What do I want to do? And I started pursuing that like unapologetically. Like I started... oh the other simple when I would do Moose, my wife taught me a valuable lesson. My wife was like, Yo, I bought the phone to call people. I ain't bought it for them to call me per se. All right? Dude I would treat this thing like it was my employer. Right? Every time it rang every message like I'm responding, responding. I started just putting it on silent. I started leaving it in the other room, and you'd be surprised Moose. Let me just say that like that might be the first step for a lot of people. Just start that. Like don't let the phone control you. Like it got to the point where my my pocket, I don't know if this ever happened to y'all, but my pocket would vibrate and my phone wasn't even on me. My phone upstairs in the bedroom, and I could feel my pocket like, Where's my? Dude, the phone is not even on, you. So, I'm saying start there, start there. Like don't like don't let your phone control you, watch this unless it's making you money then maybe you can let it. If these calls are money calls, you know, and there's real purpose behind them sure. But if it's just responding and looking at ESPN and Klay Thompson hurt his ankle again. And like if it's just that, we can find that out later on, we could do that on free time. In the gym, I watch ESPN while I'm working out and I could catch up on all that stuff. But it doesn't have to like distract me all day long. So I started putting things in perspective Moose, and just literally started to find out what made me happy. What made me, here's the kicker, I realized that what made me happy actually made me better for my family. A better husband, a better father. I come back from the gym and I got a different energy like I'm, I'm excited. I would, so I said the hour in the gym because I would rush back home to be the first face my kids see when they got up. So I know they were waking up, they had an alarm set at 6:15. I'm
getting home at 6, 6:
05 you know? Rush in the house. And as soon as their alarm go off, I'm right there. Like what I'm creating energy in the house. Dude all this is because I started like, yo what makes you happy? What do you want to do? So now my home is different right? Now my environment is different. So everything around me is different, because I'm taking what the key word is full ownership of my day. That's what I'm starting to do. Now the second one. Like I said, this is the abusive way that Moose of Nicky treated me. So buckle up, I'm gonna stall a little bit so y'all can get ready. But the second one is you're selfish. Alright? And the reason I say you're selfish, you have a unique set of skills, you have a unique set of gifts, you have a unique experience good and bad. There's people that went through some bad stuff. Like I don't have to, like soft, you know, be soft on that. Eric Thomas was a high school dropout, homeless didn't have his dad, right? There are people that went through good and bad stuff, you got a very unique experience. And the world needs to hear from you. There's somebody else that's going through the experience that you went through, there's other people that's going through stuff that you can help. And because you're concerned about what people think, and you might not do it right there other people's suffering, because you're not doing that. Moose, as I'm doing Solo Creator Pro, I'm listening to people that want to share with the world, but they just didn't have the tool. So now watch this, all these people that are willing to help we got somebody that's a lupus survivor in a group, we got somebody who just lost their mom. And these people want to get on camera and talk to other people in their situation. But they don't have the tool who has the tool, I have the tool, and I'm being selfish, and holding the tool back and not sharing my gift with the world because I don't feel confident or feel insecure. And the selfishness Moose was the thing like Yo, when I when I saw that, it's just like, dude, you are selfish. Like you're just literally thinking about yourself now and not doing what you could do to help the people around you. And I'm telling you, a couple of hundred people in the group and I'm seeing let me just be transparent. I haven't seen a negative review yet. I'm not I don't know if there is or there isn't. I have not seen a negative review Moose all because I decided I was going to do something different. So what if each of us decided to do some different, not be comfortable, not waste the time that we have in the whatever quarantine time we have, whatever. If you working 80 hours a week, still not wasting time using the extra once you get it from sleep 30 minutes early, using that extra time to be impactful, to create something, to do you. Like what impact would would that have on the world? So I'm telling y'all like man, stop being selfish. And the, I guess the kicker for me was understanding this, you don't have to be a 10 to teach a 2. I always thought I had to be a 10. So that was the hurdle that kept me back for so long. Because I didn't think I was the best. I'm not James Cameron, Spike Lee and these, you know, huge movie producers. How dare me teach somebody. But dude there's people that's at a level zero. People at a level one or level two, that I'm at least, I'm gonna say I might be a five. Let me be, I might be in the middle of the road somewhere. I'm a five, well, I can teach 0,1,2,3,4, and maybe a five, if I'm confident enough. That's half the people half you see what i'm saying that are interested that I can actually relate to, and I can let the 10 teach to whoever they get. But there are people that are my responsibility that I need to take care of. And now that I have full ownership of that Moose and that's what I want people to understand. Once you take full ownership of that. Now it takes the pressure off of you to be perfect. Because they want the imperfect version of you. It takes the pressure off you to have everything correct. Because I want you to see that I'm still making mistakes, but you, but I'm not scared to try anymore. Right? That's what I want people to understand and see. Just try. If it fails, watch this. If it fails, now you know something that you that doesn't work. So now we could try something else. There's, I say this all the time, there's nothing such as failure anymore for me. It's all learning. Failure doesn't exist anymore. It's all learning. Everything I do, I learn a way to do it or I learn a way not to do it. So if I can simplify it to that, well, why am I not trying more? I should be skydiving tomorrow. I'm not pause on that one. But why am I not trying more stuff? Right? If there's no, like no failure, right? Again, just retooling my mind Moose. If you see us, if you see if you're a hammer and you see, like you see the whole world as nails. If that's your only tool, you just want to you get what I'm saying? Like now, I'm trying to sharpen that tool, but also, like use other tools and realize that there's nothing that God has blessed me with for me. It's for me to share. Everything that he's blessed me with, especially my experience what I know what I've learned what I've gone through is for me to share so it's not about me no more. So stop being selfish. That's what I'll tell y'all. Seven, I think that's seven y'all.
Nicky Saunders:
Moose, I don't most I don't, I don't even know if we need a final words. I don't. Okay, you know what? I'm just gonna do announcements. I don't even know. I was gonna do announcement cuz I don't know where to go from there. That was too deep. I don't I don't get it. Look real quick. We're just gonna pause the situation and say, listen, every Tuesday 7pm on Facebook, facebook.com/nickyandmoose. We go live. So go join us there. Follow us on all social media at Nicky and Moose. Yeah, it we're already at like an hour and something and I feel like he has more to give. So this is what we're gonna do.
Karl Phillips:
I didn't know it was that long already. Wow.
Nicky Saunders:
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So um fin... I don't know if I say final words, Moose. I don't. This is what, I'll say okay. Karl, what, what is next? Like, talk to us a bit, you go along if you want to, but talk to us a bit about what is next, if you have something to follow after that.
Karl Phillips:
I want... so I wrote this line in my phone, like the world measures you want IQ, I want to measure you in I can. Like I want to measure what you're capable of doing. I'm not on IQ anymore. So I'm gonna try to make this simple Nicky. I was thinking about this this morning, actually. So, the what's my... I'm gonna switch to question to everything is next. Whatever I can think about, it's next. Like I have no reservations now because, man, I'm gonna try to do this in a simple way Moose. I'm gonna go back to Physics class, so y'all forgive me. I'm gonna tap into my little science background, right? There are two equations, and I don't know why I remember this of everything from Physics, but there's something called kinetic energy and there's something called potential energy. And the potential energy is, generally referred to as gravitational potential energy. And something, y'all might need to write this down, I'm gonna get a little scientific. But we're gonna do a little bit of equations right here. So the kinetic, the formula for kinetic energy only has two variables. It has a mass and a velocity. All right? So it's just literally the equation is a half mv squared. But don't worry about all that. It's two variables. Let's keep it simple. Kinetic energy is equal to, you know, you got this m variable, which is mass, and then you got this V variable, which is basically your speed, right? Potential. And I hate the word potential. I don't use hate a lot. But I hate the word potential Moose because what you said earlier, like, man, Karl, you play the piano, you do this, you do that you do that, like, I heard this a lot growing up as a kid, man, you got so much potential you're gonna... the challenge of potential is so let me let me break the formula down. Potential energy has three variables. It has mass, it has gravity and it has height. Three things right? So you look at this bottle that I'm holding, and it has potential energy, it's not moving, but it has the potential that if I let it go, it could. It could drop. But
there's three variables:
massI know I'm going super slow on purpose, Nicky, so forgive mebut mass, gravity, and height. Watch this. Of those three, you have no control over gravity. And you have no control over height. Only thing is the mass, right? And I want you to put yourself in the equation, that's the only real part of it, you control. You go back to kinetic energy, and its mass times speed, two variables, both of which you can control. So the reason why I hate potential so much is because nothing happens. Nothing has to happen. Like it just has. It has the potential to do something. And Nicky, that's how I felt my entire life. And to answer your question, now that I understand that I only need to focus on the two variables I can control, my mass me and the speed in which I operate. That's it. So whatever I want to do, if If I want to go become a painter tomorrow, it's my mass. And I said it. I said it on a call earlier that I had. The grounds crew call Moose. I do a training call. And this came out this morning, literally, when I talked to the ground crew group. And I said it like this, Your responsibility is to move your mass. I kept it PG-13 right? But that's what I'm asking people to do. PG-13 right? We gonna keep it clean. All right? Nicky and Moose are well respected in the business so I'm gonna keep it clean for them. Move your mass. That's what I'm challenging...so now that I understand Nicky...
Mostafa Ghonim:
Oh, I love it. I love it.
Karl Phillips:
Now that I understand Nicky that it's all under my control what's to stop me? Like I said, if I want to go paint tomorrow, it's just a matter of how fast can I learn that but I can go do that. If I want, whatever I want to do as long as I'm interested. And I'm willing to put that time in and move in that direction, it's done. So to answer your question, what's next, is I'm going to build a Solo Creator Pro platform into a content creator network. That's that's what's next. If anything related to media you want to learn you're going to be able to come to this network and learn editing, learn design, web design, whatever anything that relates to social media like edit any of that we're going to create that platform. That's what's immediately next and then from there Nicky, I'm taking over the world. That's what's next right? Ain't no stopping us. We're at 8.
Nicky Saunders:
Um, but real quick for all our YouTube viewers, can we just acknowledge the background of Moose? Can we just? I'm telling you, if you are listening to this you are missing something monumental because this view is just screaming New York penthouse. I made it, haha, all this stuff. I just want to put that out there that I want to I want to acknowledge my friend's view that I'm very jealous of and now makes me feel like I need to get a virtual background which I never thought I would do. But I feel like I need a virtual background because his background so fire I just I just want to put that out there.Moose, how's it feel to to make it? How's it feel to make it?
Mostafa Ghonim:
No, no, no, no, I'm far from making it right? I think I'm still operating on potential right now. I got to take Karl's advice and get on that kinetic boy right? Move the mass. Move the mass. No but it's it's a shot... for real though thanks to Nicky, of course, Karl and brother Nick man for for helping me get this setup straight. Because, you know, I was all a mess with the light. And yes, it's good to have some at least halfway decent, you know, just to match the the ambience.
Nicky Saunders:
And listen, he just screams New York. I wanted to end the episode with acknowledging this. We're just gonna leave it on him from now on when we go back to the regular episodes. We're just gonna leave it on him with this view. I just want to put that out there. That was, that was fire. Look, Karl, thank you. Let me bring you back. Let me bring you back. Karl, thank you for for coming on. Everybody, I'ma make this... Hold on, let me go to me, because I don't think y'all understand. I am the person I am today, for real for real because of Karl. Right? He didn't want to listen to me when I said this on Facebook. So I'm going to say it on the podcast so it can live forever. Here we go. So I am in the position and doing the things I am because of Karl because he took a chance on me. So it was important for us when we had a platform for him to be the first one on because of what he did for me and I know Moose has his own story with Karl, but he can't do no wrong in my eyes ever, ever, ever, ever. Even...
Karl Phillips:
I can't tell Moose. All the blows I be getting, I can't tell.
Nicky Saunders:
Well, that's the thing. I'm a high pilot and a high flight attendant. So I'm going to curse you out 9 out of 10 times and then check on you and see how you're doing. That's what I'm going to do. So thank you Carl from the bottom of my heart and then I'll let Moose say something nice.
Mostafa Ghonim:
Yeah, no man. As always grateful for you. You know, I remember when we first met back at Alma, I was still in college man. I don't know if you remember that.
Karl Phillips:
Oh, 100%.
Mostafa Ghonim:
Still in college man and you guys got to hang out after E spoke and we were just kicking it almost for what felt like an hour right? So to continue to build our relationship from then till now, but more importantly man, just just thank you you know what I'm saying? Thank you for enduring because I know it's been a it's been a lot and you endured and kind of gave us an opportunity to experience what you could have kept in your back pocket that has essentially given us the opportunity to to all step up in our own outright and find our voices find our you know ourselves in a way and now we can all sit here and kind of look back but also look to the future and say hey, there's a lot more to come because what we just found out what we just discovered is only getting better. So all of that to say thank you man. Thank you thank you for continuing to you know what I'm saying just take a chance on you. We're so excited, I'm so excited that you're finally seeing who Karl is from from our eyes right? Because we we've always seen this. We're like yo this dude is is incredible and ya know this is this is awesome I'm excited for you and just promise us you're gonna come back you know maybe within a year when this whole you know when the whole university and the the world takeover is happening so you can update us on how that happened.
Nicky Saunders:
Real quick. Where could they get your program and all that great stuff? Where can they follow you cuz you're on social media?! That's a big deal people! I don't think you understand. Next is going to be CJ but we were gonna work on that, but he's on social media. Where can they find you? Where can they sign up for the next one? What's up?
Karl Phillips:
Solo Creator Pro, everything Solo Creator Pro guys. Every platform Instagram we're posting at least daily on Instagram. Nicky's gonna I'm sure get me posting more soon. But we're just starting to, you know, build slowly. But IG you can go to the website solocreatorpro.com guys and sign up for the challenge. And again, you don't have to have no experience. You just got to be willing to learn that's it. Be coachable. That's all I'm asking. I don't care how techie you are or not. Just be willing to be coachable man. And we're going to...I'm telling you, in 21 days, we're gonna have you feeling like you are ET the Hip Hop Preacher himself. Alright? So let's get to work man. Let's go!
Nicky Saunders:
Moose, Final Words
Mostafa Ghonim:
No, I got to kick this one back. Karl do the onors
Nicky Saunders:
Ooouuu hold on! Gotta bring the bomb on that one. Go ahead Karl.
Karl Phillips:
I got you. One of the appropriately I'm actually going to take this from one of my members of the Solo Creator Pro challenge. He did a video this week and he talked about you know, back in the days when we had CDs right? You play a CD and a CD skipped. You would go and you would look because you knew Oh man, the CD must be scratched. And his challenge to the group is my challenge to you now. Locate the scratch. Right? Locate the scratch, but locate it. I don't know if that ever worked. I never did it guys but you know there's like different fluids you can buff it out and all that. Try to get the CD...I never did all that. But I want you to take that same approach now to your life. Locate the scratch. You are doing some things now. Some are going well. Some are not going well. Find that thing. Find that scratch. Find that thing that's not working. And let's buff it out. Like you don't have to like keep doing the same thing. Like I promise you guys like you just heard me talk about my transition. It wasn't like this magical thing that happened. It was locating the scratch and being intentional about going after like the purpose that God put you here for. So I'm challenging you locate that scratch and fix it man. That's it.
Karl Phillips
Creative Director
Karl Phillips also know as the “Bajan sensation” is one-third of the brain trust responsible for the development and success of Eric Thomas & Associates, LLC (E.T.A.) and is the primary force behind the “look and feel” of ETA, as well as its flagship mentoring online community, Breathe University. Karl’s academic and professional background is in biology. However, Karl reverse engineered the fundamentals and bedrock concepts of his biological background to create the Media arm of Eric Thomas & Associates, LLC.
To match the level of expertise that Eric and CJ exemplified, Karl enrolled in the Graduate program at Michigan State University, where he got the opportunity to produce content for the Big Ten network, won multiple Telly and contributed to Emmy award winning shows. His career with E.T.A. led him into the doors of many College and professional Athletic programs in the NBA NFL and MLB as well corporate giants like Quicken Loans, ATT, Verizon, Proctor and Gamble to name a few. From his humble beginnings in Barbados, Karl’s media career has taken him to across the continental United States, Australia, Egypt, Poland, London and many other countries across the globe.
Proud father of two (Jordan & Jessie) and blissfully happy and devoted husband to Dr. Tamesha Harewood & faithful follower of Christ, Karl’s dedication to excellence is unparalleled.
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